England's culinary classic 'fish and chips' may have been invented by Italians!

Italian historians have claimed that England's national dish, fish and chips, was actually invented in their country.

The experts have said that it were the immigrants from Venice, who had originally brought the recipe to the Brits on an 'EU menu' featuring the national dishes of European countries, the Daily Star reported.

Lot Italian children have been served the English staple as part of an education project at schools in Rome, where the teachers too told the kids that the food was introduced to Britain by the Venetians.

However, Andrew Cook, of the National Federation of Fish Friers, has responded saying that he had never even heard anything about the Italians bringing over the dish, and as per the history books, it was either the Joseph Malins or John Lees, who started selling it.

It is believed northern entrepreneur Lees was selling the working class delicacy in Mossley, Lancs, in around 1860, while southerners claim that Jewish immigrant Malin was selling it in the East End of London at the same time.